Resident Evil Film Director Says He Underestimated What Fans Wanted
Zach Cregger calls himself "naive" for underestimating what fans really craved from this movie.
Zach Cregger, the director of the upcoming Resident Evil film, acknowledged that he may have underestimated how much fans wanted to see Leon's story told on screen.
The upcoming movie is set during the events of Resident Evil 2 (1998) and follows the story of an original character – a courier who finds himself fighting infected creatures. In an interview with IGN, Cregger reflected on the assumption that fans would simply be excited to see the franchise adapted into a survival horror film, without fully anticipating how attached fans were to seeing Leon's story shown on screen.
"I think I was naive," he shared. "I thought fans of these games, like me, would be thrilled that somebody was coming along and turning Resident Evil into a survival horror movie. I was like, 'That's great.' I did not really appreciate the sentiment that, 'We've been waiting forever for Leon's story.' And I appreciate that, and I'm sorry that's not the story I'm bringing."
Cregger also said he didn't watch the earlier Resident Evil films because they differ from the Resident Evil stories he is used to. "So how could I be frustrated with fans who have that same attitude?" he said. The director added that he hopes fans will give the film a chance despite their skepticism. He also emphasized that the film is a passion project, born from his affection for the franchise:
"This is not me just telling a story and slapping Resident Evil on it so I can get a budget. This is me telling a Resident Evil story. I understand the resistance, I do, because I have it myself. It is coming from a true place of love."
The upcoming film, defined as psychological, sci-fi, and body horror, is set to be released on September 18. It's a second reboot and the eighth film in the Resident Evil film series. Written by Zach Cregger and Shay Hatten, the film stars Austin Abrams, Paul Walter Hauser, and Zach Cherry.
The movie centers on an unlucky courier who has to deliver a package to a hospital in the middle of nowhere. The character eventually ends up caught in the middle of an outbreak in Raccoon City and has to fight his way through mutated creatures to stay alive.
Subscribe to our Newsletter, join our 80 Level Talent platform, Discord, and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, and Instagram, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.
Are you a fan of what we do here at 80 Level? Then make sure to set us as a Preferred Source on Google to see more of our content in your feed.
Subscribe to 80 Level Newsletters
Latest news, hand-picked articles, and updates
Keep reading
You might find these interesting
